Pages

7.6.15

PATSY'S ITALIAN FAMILY COOKBOOK, by Sal Scognamillo

That's Sal, grandson of founder Pasquale (Patsy), friend to Frank Sinatra and other celebs, to your left. I know, you have a lot of tried-and-true recipes for good Italian food. But these recipes, although many will be familiar, are written in such a way as to make you a confident cook that is almost guaranteed to produce a stellar meal. This would make a great present for a novice cook. Patsy's Italian Restaurant, home to many stars of stage and screen, has operated at their West Fifty-Sixth (near Broadway) since 1944, when the author's grandfather began producing Neapolitan specialties.Click below for more...A word about the stars: they're upstairs where they get privacy as well as the family-style greeting that's one of Patsy's specialties. You don't have to go to New York City to get the food, however; just open the pages of this new cookbook. The Fennel and Mushroom Risotto on page 146 will make it all worth the effort. I have several hundred cookbooks, many of them Italian. This one I'd make room for, not only for the array of dishes but the clear, simple instructions, and the evident pleasure Sal Scognomillo takes in sharing them.